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It’s the Principal of the Thing: VPA Announces the 2015 Principals of the Year

The Vermont Principals’ Association will honor seven distinguished educational leaders at the VPA Leadership Academy awards banquet on August 5th at Killington’s Grand Hotel. Nominated by their peers and from the public at large, each of the seven principals listed below was selected recently by a committee of the VPA Executive Council and past award winners for outstanding building and educational leadership. Mr. William Olsen, Principal of Rutland High School, Mr. Steve Cone of Riverside Middle School in Springfield and Mr. William Anton of Dover Elementary School and will also travel to Washington D.C. at various times during the 2014-15 school year to be honored with other distinguished principals in their category from across the country.

The 2014 VPA Leadership Academy will feature keynote speaker Dr. Andy Hargreaves, author of Professional Capital: Transforming Teaching in Every School; Christine Ward from the impact Institute speaking about “Communication and the Skillful Leader.” There will also be seven day and one half learning strands for school leaders. Over 200 school leaders will gather for the three-day event in Killington, August 5-6-7.

The Vermont Principals’ Association provides professional develop, mentoring, and advocacy for school building leaders across Vermont’s public schools. The VPA also coordinates and administers statewide academic competitions and post-season athletics for students. To learn more about VPA, visit www.vpaonline.org.

This year’s award winners were chosen by the 15 member VPA Executive Council assisted by the 2013-14 Principals of the Year are as follows:

William Olsen, Principal of Rutland High School, has been chosen as the MetLife/National Association of Secondary Schools High School Principal of the Year;

Rosemary Fitzsimons, Principal of Wardsboro Elementary School, is the winner of the Henry Giaguque Vermont Elementary Principal of the Year.

William Anton, Principal of Dover Elementary School, is the winner of the National Distinguished Principal Award from the National Association of Elementary School Principals;

Dean Stearns, Director of the River Bend Career and Technical Center in Bradford is named as the 2015 Vermont Technical Director of the Year;

Georgie Andrews, Assistant Principal of the St. Albans City School is the winner of the Vermont Elementary Assistant Principal of the Year

Ryan Parkman, Principal of Northfield High School is the selection for the Robert F. Pierce Vermont Secondary Principal of the Year;

Steve Cone, Assistant Principal of Riverside Middle School in Springfield is the winner of the National Association of Secondary Principals and Virco Assistant Principal of the Year from Vermont.